Transformers and methods for fabricating transformers

ABSTRACT

A transformer includes multiple differential ports and first and second transformer windings. The first transformer winding includes a first transformer half-winding coupled to a first differential port of the differential ports. The first transformer winding also includes a second transformer half-winding coupled to a second differential port of the differential ports. An amplifier system that has a transformer is also provided. The amplifier system includes a first and a second stage amplifier. The first stage amplifier includes a first and a second amplifier. The second stage amplifier includes a third and a fourth amplifier. The transformer is coupled between the first stage amplifier and the second stage amplifier, where the transformer has a primary loop and a secondary loop. The primary loop of the transformer may be configured to receive differential signals of the first amplifier. A method for fabricating a transformer is also provided.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/895,254, filed on May 15, 2013, titled “LOW INDUCTANCETRANSFORMER,” which in turn claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application Ser. No. 61/811,671, titled “LOW INDUCTANCETRANSFORMER,” filed on Apr. 12, 2013, each of which is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

Wireless transceivers are used in a wide variety of wireless systems. Awireless transceiver (transmitter and receiver) may typically include awireless receiver for receiving and demodulating signals, and atransmitter for modulating signals for transmission. Wireless systemstypically include a multiple-stage power amplifier to amplify andtransmit signals. The power amplifier stages may be coupled together viatransformers. The transformer may be used for inter-stage matchingbetween the stages of the power amplifier. The inductance of thetransformer also may be used to resonate out any capacitance in thepower amplifier. The transformer can also perform impedancetransformation to provide the power amplifier an optimal load. It canalso be used to supply DC power to the amplifier and bias thetransistors of the amplifier.

Wireless systems are increasingly designed to target high-speed andhigh-power transmission applications. To achieve the high-powerperformance of the wireless transceiver, the power amplifier is designedwith large transistors, which in effect produces a large capacitance atthe input and output of the power amplifier. As operating frequenciesalso increase, the capacitance of the power amplifier becomes a dominantfactor that determines the resonant inductance. Given that the resonantfrequency can be expressed as f=1/(2π√{square root over (LC)}), where Cis the capacitance of the power amplifier, and L is the inductance ofthe transformer, the inductance available to resonate out the poweramplifier capacitance decreases. The capacitance of relatively largetransistors for high-power applications make the corresponding resonantinductance unfeasible at millimeter-wave frequencies under transformerdesign approaches. Furthermore, transformer design approachesimplemented by full loops suffer from significant routing parasiticinductance which can be comparable to the inductance of the coupledloop.

SUMMARY

A system and/or circuit is provided for a transformer, substantially asillustrated by and/or described in connection with at least one of thefigures, as set forth more completely in the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Certain features of the subject technology are set forth in the appendedclaims. The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide furtherunderstanding, illustrate disclosed aspects and together with thedescription serve to explain the principles of the disclosed aspects.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communicationsystem in accordance with one or more implementations.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communicationdevice that includes a host device and an associated radio in accordancewith one or more implementations.

FIG. 3 conceptually illustrates an example of a transformer circuit inaccordance with one or more implementations.

FIG. 4 conceptually illustrates an example of a transformer circuit witha defined geometric shape in accordance with one or moreimplementations.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a transformercircuit in accordance with one or more implementations.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description set forth below is intended as a description ofvarious configurations of the subject technology and is not intended torepresent the only configurations in which the subject technology may bepracticed. The appended drawings are incorporated herein and constitutea part of the detailed description. The detailed description includesspecific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understandingof the subject technology. However, the subject technology is notlimited to the specific details set forth herein and may be practicedwithout one or more of these specific details. In one or more instances,structures and components are shown in block diagram form in order toavoid obscuring the concepts of the subject technology.

In one or more implementations, the subject technology proposes atransformer circuit having low inductance while meeting requirements ofhigh frequency and high-power wireless transceivers. The proposedtransformer circuit can be used for inter-stage matching between poweramplifiers. As complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technologysizing decreases, high-power high frequency designs are becoming morefeasible. As such, the proposed transformer circuit provides half theinductance for respective power amplifiers on a same layout footprint,thus yielding power and area savings.

In some implementations, a transformer has first and second transformerwindings including multiple differential ports. Each of the first andsecond transformer windings include a first transformer half-windingcoupled to a first differential port of the differential ports. Each ofthe first and second transformer windings also include a secondtransformer half-winding coupled to a second differential port of thedifferential ports. Each of the first and second transformer windings isdivided symmetrically at a common node to form the respective first andsecond transformer half-windings. The first transformer half-winding isconfigured to form one half of an inductance in each of the first andsecond transformer windings. The second transformer half-winding isconfigured to form another half of the inductance in each of the firstand second transformer windings. The common node of the firsttransformer winding is configured to receive a supply voltage.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating wireless communication system 100 inaccordance with one or more implementations. Wireless communicationsystem 100 includes base stations and/or access points 112, 116,wireless communication devices 118-132 and a network hardware component134. Note that the network hardware 134, which may be a router, switch,bridge, modem, or system controller, provides a wide area networkconnection 142 for the wireless communication system 100. Further notethat wireless communication devices 118-132 may be laptop host computers118 and 126, personal digital assistant hosts 120 and 130, personalcomputer hosts 124 and 132 and/or cellular telephone hosts 122 and 128.

Wireless communication devices 122, 123, and 124 are located withinindependent basic service set (IBSS) area 109 and communicate directly(e.g., point to point). In this configuration, wireless communicationdevices 122, 123, and 124 may only communicate with each other. Tocommunicate with other wireless communication devices within thewireless communication system 100 or to communicate outside of thewireless communication system 100, wireless communication devices 122,123, and/or 124 can affiliate with one of the base stations or accesspoints 112 or 116.

The base stations or access points 112, 116 are located within basicservice set (BSS) areas 111 and 113, respectively, and are operablycoupled to the network hardware 134 via local area network connections136, 138. Such a connection provides the base station or access points112, 116 with connectivity to other devices within the wirelesscommunication system 100 and provides connectivity to other networks viathe WAN connection 142. To communicate with wireless communicationdevices 118-132 within BSS 111 and 113, each of the base stations oraccess points 112, 116 has an associated antenna or antenna array. Inone or more implementations, base station or access point 112 wirelesslycommunicates with wireless communication devices 118 and 120 while basestation or access point 116 wirelessly communicates with wirelesscommunication devices 126-132. Wireless communication devices 118-132can register with a particular base station or access point 112, 116 toreceive services from the wireless communication system 100.

According to some implementations, base stations are used for cellulartelephone systems (e.g., advanced mobile phone services (AMPS), digitalAMPS, global system for mobile communications (GSM), code divisionmultiple access (CDMA), local multi-point distribution systems (LMDS),multi-channel-multi-point distribution systems (MMDS), enhanced datarates for GSM evolution (EDGE), general packet radio service (GPRS),high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA), high-speed uplink packetaccess (HSUPA and/or variations thereof) and like-type systems, whileaccess points are used for in-home or in-building wireless networks(e.g., IEEE 802.11, Bluetooth, ZigBee, any other type of radio frequencybased network protocol and/or variations thereof). Regardless of theparticular type of communication system, each wireless communicationdevice includes a built-in radio and/or is coupled to a radio.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a wireless communication device 200that includes a host device 202 (e.g., wireless communication devices118-132) and associated radio 260. For cellular telephone hosts, radio260 is a built-in component. For personal digital assistants hosts,laptop hosts, and/or personal computer hosts, the radio 260 may bebuilt-in or an externally coupled component.

As illustrated, host device 202 includes processing module 250, memory252, radio interface 254, input interface 258, and output interface 256.Processing module 250 is configured to execute correspondinginstructions stored in memory 275 that can be performed by host device202. For example, for a cellular telephone host device, processingmodule 250 performs the corresponding communication functions inaccordance with a particular cellular telephone standard.

Radio interface 254 allows data to be received from and sent to radio260. For data received from the radio 260 (e.g., inbound data), radiointerface 254 provides the data to processing module 250 for furtherprocessing and/or routing to output interface 256. Output interface 256provides connectivity to an output display device such as a display,monitor, or speakers, such that the received data may be presented.Radio interface 254 also provides data from processing module 250 toradio 260. Processing module 250 may receive the outbound data from aninput device such as a keyboard, keypad, or microphone via inputinterface 258 or generate the data itself. For data received via inputinterface 258, processing module 250 may perform a corresponding hostfunction on the data and/or route it to radio 260 via radio interface254.

Radio 260 includes host interface 262, digital baseband (BB) receiverprocessing module 264, analog-to-digital converter 266, high pass andlow pass filter module 268, inter-frequency (IF) mixing down conversionstage 270, receiver filter module 271, low noise amplifier 272,transmitter/receiver switch 273, local oscillation module 274 (which maybe implemented, at least in part, using a voltage controlled oscillator(VCO)), memory 275, digital BB transmitter processing module 276,digital-to-analog converter 278, filtering/gain module 280, intermediatefrequency (IF) mixing up-conversion stage 282, power amplifier 284,transmitter filter module 285, channel bandwidth adjust module 287, andantenna 286. Antenna 286 may be a single antenna that is shared by thetransmit and receive paths as regulated by Tx/Rx switch module 273, ormay include separate antennas for the transmit path and receive path.The antenna implementation will depend on the particular standard towhich the wireless communication device is compliant.

Digital receiver processing module 264 and digital transmitterprocessing module 276, in combination with operational instructionsstored in memory 275, execute digital receiver functions and digitaltransmitter functions, respectively. The digital receiver functionsinclude, but are not limited to, digital intermediate frequency tobaseband conversion, demodulation, constellation demapping, decoding,and/or descrambling. The digital transmitter functions include, but arenot limited to, scrambling, encoding, constellation mapping, modulation,and/or digital baseband to IF conversion.

Digital receiver and transmitter processing modules 264 and 276 may beimplemented using a shared processing device, individual processingdevices, or multiple processing devices. Such a processing device may bea microprocessor, micro-controller, digital signal processor,microcomputer, central processing unit, field programmable gate array,programmable logic device, state machine, logic circuitry, analogcircuitry, digital circuitry, and/or any device that manipulates signals(analog and/or digital) based on operational instructions.

Memory 275 may be a single memory device or multiple memory devices.Such a memory device may be a read-only memory, random access memory,volatile memory, non-volatile memory, static memory, dynamic memory,flash memory, and/or any device that stores digital information. Notethat when processing module 264 and/or 276 implements one or more of itsfunctions via a state machine, analog circuitry, digital circuitry,and/or logic circuitry, the memory storing the corresponding operationalinstructions is embedded with the circuitry including the state machine,analog circuitry, digital circuitry, and/or logic circuitry.

In operation, radio 260 receives outbound data 294 from host device 202via host interface 262. Host interface 262 routes outbound data 294 todigital transmitter processing module 276, which processes outbound data294 in accordance with a particular wireless communication standard(e.g., IEEE 802.11, Bluetooth, ZigBee, WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperabilityfor Microwave Access), or any other type of radio frequency basednetwork protocol and/or variations thereof) to produce outbound basebandsignals 296. Outbound baseband signals 296 can be digital base-bandsignals (e.g., have a zero IF) or digital low IF signals, where the lowIF can be in the frequency range of one hundred kHz (kilo-Hertz) to afew MHz (Mega-Hertz).

Digital-to-analog converter 278 converts outbound baseband signals 296from the digital domain to the analog domain. Filtering/gain module 280filters and/or adjusts the gain of the analog signals prior to providingthe signals to IF mixing stage 282. IF mixing stage 282 converts theanalog baseband or low IF signals into radio frequency (RF) signalsbased on transmitter local oscillation 283 provided by local oscillationmodule 274. Power amplifier 284 amplifies the RF signals to produceoutbound RF signals 298, which are filtered by transmitter filter module285. Antenna 286 transmits outbound RF signals 298 to a targeted devicesuch as a base station, an access point and/or another wirelesscommunication device.

Radio 260 also receives inbound RF signals 288 via antenna 286, whichare transmitted by a base station, an access point, or another wirelesscommunication device. Antenna 286 provides inbound RF signals 288 toreceiver filter module 271 via Tx/Rx switch 273, where Rx filter 271bandpass filters inbound RF signals 288. Rx filter 271 provides thefiltered RF signals to low noise amplifier 272, which amplifies inboundRF signals 288 to produce amplified inbound RF signals. Low noiseamplifier 272 provides the amplified inbound RF signals to IF mixingmodule 270, which directly converts the amplified inbound RF signalsinto an inbound low IF signals or baseband signals based on receiverlocal oscillation 281 provided by local oscillation module 274. Downconversion module 270 provides the inbound low IF signals or basebandsignals to filtering/gain module 268. High pass and low pass filtermodule 268 filters, based on settings provided by channel bandwidthadjust module 287, the inbound low IF signals or the inbound basebandsignals to produce filtered inbound signals.

Analog-to-digital converter 266 converts the filtered inbound signalsfrom the analog domain to the digital domain to produce inbound basebandsignals 290, where inbound baseband signals 290 will be digitalbase-band signals or digital low IF signals, where the low IF typicallywill be in the frequency range of one hundred kHz to a few MHz. Digitalreceiver processing module 264, based on settings provided by channelbandwidth adjust module 287, decodes, descrambles, demaps, and/ordemodulates inbound baseband signals 290 to recapture inbound data 292in accordance with the particular wireless communication standard beingimplemented by radio 260. Host interface 262 provides recaptured inbounddata 292 to host device 202 via radio interface 254.

Wireless communication device 200 may be implemented using one or moreintegrated circuits. For example, the host device 202 may be implementedon a first integrated circuit, digital receiver processing module 264,digital transmitter processing module 276 and memory 275 may beimplemented on a second integrated circuit, and the remaining componentsof radio 260, less antenna 286, may be implemented on a third integratedcircuit. Alternatively, radio 260 may be implemented on a singleintegrated circuit. As yet another example, processing module 250 ofhost device 202 and digital receiver and transmitter processing modules264 and 276 may be a common processing device implemented on a singleintegrated circuit. Further, memory 252 and memory 275 may beimplemented on a single integrated circuit and/or on the same integratedcircuit as the common processing modules of processing module 250 anddigital receiver and transmitter processing module 264 and 276.

Any of the various embodiments of the wireless communication device 200that may be implemented within various communication systems canincorporate functionality to perform communication via more than onestandard, protocol, or other predetermined means of communication. Forexample, the wireless communication device 200 implemented as a singlecommunication device, can include functionality to perform communicationin accordance with a first protocol, a second protocol, and/or a thirdprotocol. These various protocols may be WiMAX (WorldwideInteroperability for Microwave Access) protocol, a protocol thatcomplies with a wireless local area network (e.g., WLAN/WiFi) (e.g., oneof the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineer) 802.11protocols such as 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, or 802.11ac), aBluetooth protocol, or any other predetermined means by which wirelesscommunication may be effectuated.

FIG. 3 conceptually illustrates transformer circuit 300 in accordancewith one or more implementations. Transformer circuit 300 is implementedbetween multiple stages of power amplifier 284 of FIG. 2. Transformercircuit 300 can be configured for inter-stage matching between poweramplifier 284. Transformer circuit 300 also can be configured toresonate out capacitances at the inter-stages of power amplifier 284.

Transformer circuit 300 may be a static electrical device that transferselectrical energy by inductive coupling between primary and secondarywinding circuits. A varying current in the primary winding circuitcreates a varying magnetic flux in a core of transformer circuit 300such that the secondary winding circuit experiences a varying magneticflux. This varying magnetic flux in the secondary winding circuitinduces a varying voltage in the secondary winding circuit.

As power requirements increase, transistors of the power amplifier 284become significantly larger in size. A larger power amplifier transistorhas a relatively large capacitance. Because the operating frequency isinversely proportional to resonant inductance (e.g., as frequencyincreases, the resonant inductance decreases), the amount of inductanceneeded for high-frequency applications becomes smaller. As such, thereis relatively less inductance needed to resonate out the capacitances.

In some aspects, transformer circuit 300 is configured as two full loopsthat are divided in half thus forming respective half-loops. Given thatinductance is defined by the area of the loop, each half-loop realizeshalf the inductance of the respective loop. Transformer circuit 300becomes ideal for high-power and high-speed applications without powerand area penalties since multiple power amplifiers can share the sameloop footprint. The proposed topology of transformer circuit 300 makesthe floor planning and layout of transformer circuit 300 more areaefficient, which in turn reduces routing parasitics between thetransistors' nodes and the transformer ports.

In one or more implementations, transformer circuit 300 includes aprimary loop sometimes referred to as a first transformer windingcomposed of half-loops 302 and 304 and a secondary loop sometimesreferred to as a second transformer winding composed of half-loops 310and 312. The half-loops (sometimes referred to as first and secondtransformer half-windings) of the primary and secondary loops areassociated with respective power amplifiers. In this regard, the primaryloop is coupled to an output of a first stage amplifier composed ofpower amplifiers 306 and 308 and the secondary loop is coupled to aninput of a second stage amplifier composed of power amplifiers 314 and316. The primary loop is configured to resonate out any capacitanceobserved at the outputs of the first stage amplifier. Similarly, thesecondary loop is configured to resonate out any capacitance observed atthe inputs of the second stage amplifier. In some aspects, the primaryand secondary loops are decreased in size if capacitance at the firstand second stage amplifiers is increased.

In some aspects, the primary and secondary loops of transformer circuit300 are respectively divided into equally-sized loops at a common node(e.g., primary common node, secondary common node) in the loop. Becausethe power amplifiers (e.g., power amplifiers 306, 308, 314, 316) areeach configured to receive and output differential signals, the divisionof the loop is made at a location that is symmetrical between thedifferential ports of the respective power amplifier to ensuredifferential behavior in each of the half-loops. As such, thesymmetrical location in the loop represents the common node that doesnot realize any voltage swing. This division can be made by making aphysical connection across the loop, which in turn is coupled to asupply voltage (e.g., V_(DD)). In this regard, only the primary loop isconfigured to receive the supply voltage. It should be appreciated thatenergy can be transferred to and from between the primary loop and thesecondary loop, and therefore between a load and power supply.

In addition, the secondary loop can receive a similar division such thatthe common node in the secondary loop is configured to receive a biasvoltage (e.g., V_(G)) to bias the second stage amplifier. For example,the bias voltage controls the DC current and the RF gain of the secondstage amplifier. In some aspects, the same bias voltage can be appliedto power amplifiers 314 and 316 of the second stage amplifier. In someaspects, the bias voltage applied to power amplifiers 314 and 316 isdifferent.

In some aspects, a method of fabricating a low inductance transformer isprovided. The steps of the method do not need to be performed in theorder shown below. The method may include determining a size of aprimary loop and a second loop based on multiple design parameters. Thedesign parameters can include, but not limited to, operating frequency,power requirements, line capacitance, load capacitance. In one or moreimplementations, in determining the size of the primary and secondaryloops, the inductance of each loop can be determined based on the givendesign parameters, such as the frequency and capacitance sincef=1/(2π√{square root over (LC)}). As such, the inductance can beexpressed as: L=1/((2πf)²C).

The method also may include providing a respective common node in theprimary loop and the secondary loop to form symmetrical half loops inthe primary and secondary loops. The symmetrical half loops of theprimary loop are each configured to form a respective portion of aninductance in the primary loop. Also, the symmetrical half loops of thesecondary loop are each configured to form a respective portion of aninductance in the secondary loop. The method also may include couplingthe primary loop to first and second terminals of a first differentialport at a location of the primary loop that is symmetrical between thefirst and second terminals to ensure differential behavior of theprimary loop. Similarly, the method also may include coupling thesecondary loop to third and fourth terminals of a second differentialport at a location of the secondary loop that is symmetrical between thethird and fourth terminals to ensure differential behavior of thesecondary loop. The method also may include configuring the common nodeof the primary loop to receive a supply voltage.

The method also may include configuring the common node of the secondaryloop to receive a bias voltage to bias the second differential port. Indetermining the size of the primary loop, the method also may includedecreasing the size of the symmetrical half loops of the primary loop ifcapacitance at the first differential port increases. Similarly, thesize of the symmetrical half loops of the secondary loop may bedecreased if capacitance at the second differential port increases whendetermining the size of the second loop.

In some aspects, the winding ratio of the primary loop to the secondaryloop may be equivalent to one (e.g., 1:1). In some aspects, the windingratio of the primary loop to the secondary loop may be less than one(e.g., 1:2). In some aspects, the winding ratio of the primary loop tothe secondary loop may be greater than one (e.g., 2:1). In one or moreimplementations, outputs of power amplifiers 314 and 316 can be combined(not shown) to form a combined power signal based on an inductance ofhalf loops 310 and 312 of the secondary loop.

FIG. 4 conceptually illustrates transformer circuit 400 with a definedgeometric shape in accordance with one or more implementations. In someaspects, transformer circuit 400 can have a specific layout footprintthat provides area and power benefits over other layout approaches.Here, transformer circuit 400 can be the same circuit as discussed inFIG. 3, where the primary and secondary loops have a common geometricshape. As such, half-loops 302 and 304 have a common geometric shape.Similarly, half-loops 310 and 312 have a common geometric shape. Thegeometric shapes available to implement transformer circuit 400 caninclude, but not limited to, a round layout (or circle-shaped), atriangle layout, a hexagon layout, and a right-angled layout (orsquare-shaped).

It may be desirable to maintain the differential inputs and outputs ofthe respective loops as close as possible to minimize area penalties. Assuch, the half-loops of the primary and secondary loops may have acommon layout footprint. In some aspects, the primary and secondaryloops may have a separate layout footprint but the half-loops share thesame whole loop footprint. In addition, the half-loops of the primaryand secondary loops may have a common loop size since the half-loops aresymmetrical of one another.

FIG. 5 illustrates a schematic diagram of transformer circuit 500 inaccordance with one or more implementations. In some aspects, a poweramplifier system having a low inductance transformer is provided. Thepower amplifier system can include a first stage power amplifiercomposed of first and second power amplifiers (e.g., power amplifiers306 and 308). The power amplifier system also can include a second stagepower amplifier composed of third and fourth power amplifiers (e.g.,power amplifiers 310 and 312). The power amplifier system also caninclude a transformer circuit coupled between the first stage poweramplifier and the second stage power amplifier.

For purposes of simplicity in discussing the schematic diagram of FIG.5, transformer circuit 500 is shown with only half-loops 302 and 310including power amplifiers 306 and 314. The corresponding portion oftransformer circuit 400 is shown to demonstrate the relationship betweenthe conceptual illustration and the schematic diagram.

In one or more implementations, power amplifier 306 associated withhalf-loop 302 includes a pair of switches that are n-type metal-oxidesemiconductor (NMOS) transistors. In this regard, a source node of eachof the switches is coupled to ground, a gate node of each of theswitches receives a respective input of a differential input (e.g., IN+or IN−), and a drain node of each of the switches is coupled to aninductor coupled to a supply voltage (e.g., e.g., V_(DD)).

Similarly, power amplifier 314 associated with half-loop 310 includes apair of switches that are NMOS transistors. Here, a source node of eachof the switches is coupled to ground, a gate node of each of theswitches is coupled to an inductor coupled to a bias voltage, and adrain node of each of the switches provides a respective output of adifferential output (e.g., OUT+ or OUT−). In some aspects, poweramplifiers 306 and 314 may be implemented with p-type MOS (PMOS)transistors.

In some implementations, half loop 302 is configured to resonate out anoutput capacitance of power amplifier 306 (e.g., between source andground) and half loop 310 is configured to resonate out an inputcapacitance of power amplifier 314 (e.g., between gate and ground).

One or more implementations are performed by one or more integratedcircuits, such as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) orfield programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). In one or more implementations,such integrated circuits execute instructions that are stored on thecircuit itself.

Those of skill in the art would appreciate that the various illustrativeblocks, elements, circuits, components, and methods described herein maybe implemented as electronic hardware. Various illustrative blocks,elements, components, and methods have been described above generally interms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implementedas hardware depends upon the particular application and designconstraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans mayimplement the described functionality in varying ways for eachparticular application. Various components and blocks may be arrangeddifferently (e.g., arranged in a different order, or partitioned in adifferent way) all without departing from the scope of the subjecttechnology.

It is understood that any specific order or hierarchy of blocks in theprocesses disclosed is an illustration of example approaches. Based upondesign preferences, it is understood that the specific order orhierarchy of blocks in the processes may be rearranged, or that allillustrated blocks be performed. Any of the blocks may be performedsimultaneously. In one or more implementations, multitasking andparallel processing may be advantageous. Moreover, the separation ofvarious system components in the implementations described above shouldnot be understood as requiring such separation in all implementations,and it should be understood that the described program components andsystems can generally be integrated together in a single softwareproduct or packaged into multiple software products.

As used in this specification and any claims of this application, theterms “transformer”, “receiver,” “transmitter,” and “power amplifier”all refer to electronic or other technological devices. These termsexclude people or groups of people.

The predicate words “configured to” does not imply any particulartangible or intangible modification of a subject, but, rather, areintended to be used interchangeably. In one or more implementations, areceiver configured to receive and process an operation or a componentmay also mean the receiver being operable to receive and process theoperation.

A phrase such as “some aspects” does not imply that such aspect isessential to the subject technology or that such aspect applies to allconfigurations of the subject technology. A disclosure relating to anaspect may apply to all configurations, or one or more configurations.An aspect may provide one or more examples of the disclosure. A phrasesuch as “one or more implementations” does not imply that suchimplementation is essential to the subject technology or that suchimplementation applies to all configurations of the subject technology.A disclosure relating to an implementation may apply to allimplementations, or one or more implementations. An implementation mayprovide one or more examples of the disclosure. A phrase such as a“configuration” does not imply that such configuration is essential tothe subject technology or that such configuration applies to allconfigurations of the subject technology. A disclosure relating to aconfiguration may apply to all configurations, or one or moreconfigurations. A configuration may provide one or more examples of thedisclosure. A phrase such as a “configuration” may refer to one or moreconfigurations and vice versa.

Any implementation described herein as an “example” is not necessarilyto be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations.Furthermore, to the extent that the term “include,” “have,” or the likeis used in the description or the claims, such term is intended to beinclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprise” as “comprise” isinterpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.

All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the variousaspects described throughout this disclosure that are known or latercome to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expresslyincorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed bythe claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to bededicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure isexplicitly recited in the claims. No claim element is to be construedunder the provisions of 35 U.S.C. §112, sixth paragraph, unless theelement is expressly recited using the phrase “means for” or, in thecase of a method claim, the element is recited using the phrase “stepfor.”

The previous description is provided to enable any person skilled in theart to practice the various aspects described herein. Variousmodifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilledin the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied toother aspects. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to theaspects shown herein, but are to be accorded the full scope consistentwith the language claims, wherein reference to an element in thesingular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless specificallyso stated, but rather “one or more.” Unless specifically statedotherwise, the term “some” refers to one or more. Pronouns in themasculine (e.g., his) include the feminine and neuter gender (e.g., herand its) and vice versa. Headings and subheadings, if any, are used forconvenience only and do not limit the subject disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A transformer comprising: a plurality ofdifferential ports; a first transformer winding comprising: a firsttransformer half-winding coupled to a first differential port of theplurality of differential ports, wherein the first transformerhalf-winding is configured to receive a first signal and a second signalvia the first differential port, and a second transformer half-windingcoupled to a second differential port of the plurality of differentialports; and a second transformer winding.
 2. The transformer of claim 1,wherein the second transformer half-winding is configured to receive athird signal and a fourth signal via the second differential port. 3.The transformer of claim 1, wherein the second transformer windingcomprises: a third transformer half-winding coupled to a thirddifferential port of the plurality of differential ports; and a fourthtransformer half-winding coupled to a fourth differential port of theplurality of differential ports.
 4. The transformer of claim 3, whereinthe third transformer half-winding is configured to output a thirdsignal and a fourth signal via the third differential port.
 5. Thetransformer of claim 1, wherein the first transformer winding is dividedat a first node to form the first transformer half-winding and secondtransformer half-winding.
 6. The transformer of claim 5, wherein thefirst transformer winding is divided symmetrically at the first node. 7.The transformer of claim 1, wherein the first transformer half-windingis configured to form one half of an inductance in the first transformerwinding.
 8. The transformer of claim 1, wherein the first transformerwinding is configured to be inductively coupled with the secondtransformer winding.
 9. An amplifier system, comprising: a first stageamplifier comprising a first amplifier and a second amplifier; a secondstage amplifier comprising a third amplifier and a fourth amplifier; anda transformer coupled between the first stage amplifier and the secondstage amplifier, wherein the transformer comprises a primary loop and asecondary loop, the primary loop being configured to receivedifferential signals of the first amplifier.
 10. The amplifier system ofclaim 9, wherein: the primary loop comprises a first half-loop and asecond half-loop, the first half-loop is configured to receive thedifferential signals of the first amplifier, and the second half-loop isconfigured to receive differential signals of the second amplifier. 11.The amplifier system of claim 9, wherein: the secondary loop comprises athird half-loop and a fourth half-loop, the third half-loop isconfigured to output differential signals to the third amplifier, andthe fourth half-loop is configured to output differential signals to thefourth amplifier.
 12. The amplifier system of claim 9, wherein theprimary loop and the secondary loop are divided symmetrically to formrespective first and second half-loops.
 13. The amplifier system ofclaim 12, wherein the first half-loop is configured to form one half ofan inductance in a respective one of the primary and secondary loops.14. The amplifier system of claim 9, wherein: the primary loop isconfigured to receive differential signals from each of the firstamplifier and the second amplifier, and the secondary loop is configuredto output differential signals to each of the third amplifier and thefourth amplifier.
 15. A method of fabricating a transformer, the methodcomprising: providing a primary loop of the transformer; providing afirst differential port; coupling the primary loop to a first terminaland a second terminal of the first differential port to facilitatereceiving, by the primary loop, a first signal over the first terminaland a second signal over the second terminal; providing a secondary loopof the transformer; providing a second differential port; and couplingthe secondary loop to a third terminal and a fourth terminal of thesecond differential port to facilitate outputting, by the secondaryloop, a third signal over the third terminal and a fourth signal overthe fourth terminal.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the couplingthe primary loop comprises coupling the primary loop to the firstterminal and the second terminal of the first differential port at alocation of the primary loop that is symmetrical between the firstterminal and the second terminal to allow differential behavior.
 17. Themethod of claim 15, wherein the providing the primary loop comprisesforming a first half-loop and a second half-loop in the primary loop,and wherein the coupling the primary loop comprises coupling the firsthalf-loop to the first terminal and the second terminal.
 18. The methodof claim 17, wherein the coupling the primary loop further comprisescoupling the second half-loop to a fifth terminal and a sixth terminalof a third differential port to facilitate receiving, by the primaryloop, a fifth signal over the fifth terminal and a sixth signal over thesixth terminal.
 19. The method of claim 17, wherein the providing thesecondary loop comprises forming a third half-loop and a fourthhalf-loop in the secondary loop, and wherein the coupling the secondaryloop comprises coupling the third half-loop to the third terminal andthe fourth terminal.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the couplingthe secondary loop further comprises coupling the fourth half-loop to aseventh terminal and an eighth terminal of a fourth differential port tofacilitate outputting, by the secondary loop, a seventh signal over theseventh terminal and an eighth signal over the eighth terminal.